Toilet flushing arrangement

ABSTRACT

To save water the toilet tank is provided with means selectively operable to discharge different amounts of water into the toilet bowl for flushing the bowl depending upon the amount and nature of the waste material to be flushed from the bowl. For this purpose a conduit is installed in the tank that rises from the discharge port at the bottom of the tank to a level a distance below the normal water level in the tank. In addition to the opening at its top end, the conduit has a branch on its side that forms a second port at a level near the bottom of the tank. Both the ports have lids that are pivotally supported and are biased to keep the ports closed; and means are provided to open them individually causing different amounts of water to be released into the toilet bowl, i.e a lesser amount if the upper lid is opened and a larger amount if the lower lid is opened. For compactness one of the actuating means is an actuating lever that is pivotally supported at a mid-point by means of a tubular pivot mounted in and passing through the front wall of the tank. One end of the lever is operatively connected to one of the lids while its other end forms an externally located actuating handle. The other lid-actuating means is a chain which is connected to the lid of the second port and which passes through the tubular pivot of the actuating lever of the first lid, and its emerging end is provided with a handling convenience, such as a ball. Mounted in and rising from the lid of the upper port is a pipe that acts as the overflow pipe of the tank.

United States Patent Johnson Sept. 9, 1975 TOILET FLUSHING ARRANGEMENT selectively operable to discharge different amounts of Inventor: Arthur L Johnson, 4921 Third St water into the toilet bowl for flushing the bowl de- San Francisco Calif 94 I 24 pending upon the amount and nature of the waste material to be flushed from the bowl. For this purpose a [22] Filed: Nov. 4, I974 conduit is installed in the tank that rises from the discharge port at the bottom of the tank to a level a dis [2] 1 App! 520305 tance below the normal water level in the tank. In ad dition to the opening at its top end, the conduit has a [52] US. Cl. H 4/ A; branch on its side that forms a second port at a level 4/249 near the bottom of the tank Both the ports have lids l A613 503D EU3D that are pivotally supported and are biased to keep the Field of Search v 67 57 R, 57 ports closed; and means are provided to open them 4, 37 Z49 individually causing different amounts of water to be released into the toilet bowl, ie a lesser amount if the [56] References Cited upper lid is opened and a larger amount if the lower ED STATES PATENTS lid is opened. For compactness one of the actuating 1,605,938 11/1926 Haas 4/67 R "mans is actuating sver that is Pivotal? Supported 2,l45,60l 1/1939 Hopper 4/67 R at a midpoint by means of a tubular PivOt mounted in 2,835 9()0 5/1958 0165215011 4/67 A and p g m g the from Wall Of the tank- One 2,839,759 6/1958 Martino l. 4/37 end of the lever is operatively connected to one of the 2. 11 12/1958 Martino 1 v v v. 4/37 lids while its other end forms an externally located ac- .7 8 9/1973 Smoliflski 4/67 A tuating handle. The other lid-actuating means is a 3 768,l()3 l0/l973 Robinson v v v 4/67 A Chain which is connecmd to the lid of the Second port 3,7951): 3/[974 Eastman H 4,1'67 A To save water the toilet tank is provided with means ABSTRACT and which passes through the tubular pivot of the ac tuating lever of the first lid, and its emerging end is provided with a handling convenience, such as a ball. Mounted in and rising from the lid of the upper port is a pipe that acts as the overflow pipe of the tank.

4 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures 1 l lll PATENTEUSEP ems TOILET FLUSH ING ARRANGEIVIENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to water toilets. More particularly the present invention relates to the flushing mechanism of water toilets. Upon actuation the flushing mechanism of water toilets is arranged to release an amount of water from a storage tank to rush into the toilet bowl under the force of gravity and flush waste materials contained in the bowl over a barrier into a discharge conduit that conducts them into a sewer. The amount of water consumed with each flushing operation is usually substantial, i.e. from 2 to 5 gallons to make it possible to propperly flush even the largest potential quantities of waste material from the toilet bowl. Frequently, however, the amount of waste in a toilet bowl is very small, and is in fact no more than fluid emptied from the human bladder; and it is unnecessary and wasteful] in areas where water is in short supply, to spend from 2 to 5 gallons of water to flush liquid waste material from a toilet bowl. Yet there are other occasions when considerable amounts of solid or semi-solid waste materials have to be flushed from the bowls.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to save water in the operation of water toilets.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a flushing arrangement for water toilets that enables the user to release a larger or smaller amount of water for flushing the toilet bowl depending upon the use to which it has been put.

Another object of the invention is to provide a selective toilet flushing mechanism. of the type referred to, that is compact and of simple construction and which may easily be installed in water toilets of conventional designv BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective of the tank of a water toilet into which my invention has been incorporated, with part of its front wall broken away to disclose components behind it;

FIG. 2 is a detail view of the mechanism of my invention shown in front elevation and on a somewhat enlarged scale as compared with FIG. 1.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention I provide the tank of water toilets with discharge ports located at different levels of the tank, one at a relatively high level which releases a smaller amount of water when it is uncovered and one at the bottom of the tank, i.c. at the conventional level which releases the full capacity of the tank when uncovered. and I provide a simple and compact arrangement for selectively uncovering one or the other of said discharge ports.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION In FIG. I the reference number I designates the water tank of a toilet which is covered at the top by a detachable lid 12 and has a discharge port 14 in its bottom or floor I6. Threadably secured to the port 14 is a discharge conduit I8 which may be ofelbow shape as shown in FIG. I, and which leads into the bowl of the toilet at a high level point thereof. To fill the tank with water, a supply conduit 20 is provided that passes through the floor of the tank and rises within the tank in the form of a vertical tube 22 to a suitable level where it terminates in a depending discharge pipe 24. When the port 14 is closed, the water collecting in the tank rises to a level determined by a float in the form of a hollow ball 26 of metal or rubber at the end of an actuating arm 28 that controls a valve collectively identified by the reference numeral 30. This valve is normally open and permits water to flow from supply conduit 22 into the tank. When the float 26 reaches a predetermined level, the arm 28 closes the valve 30 and the flow of water into tank ceases leaving the tank filled with water up to said predetermined level. When the toilet is to be flushed, the port 14 is opened permitting the water in the tank to rush through conduit 18 into the toilet bowl and sweep any waste material from the bowl. After the water has drained from the tank the port 14 is again closed and the tank fills again with water because descent of the float 26 has opened the water supply valve 30.

In accordance with the invention I provide several controlled discharge ports located at different levels within the tank to be able to empty the tank to different levels and allow different amounts of water to sweep through the bowl depending on the quantity and nature of waste material contained in the bowl. In the particular embodiment of the invention which I am about to describe I provide two such differently leveled discharge ports. Having again reference to the drawing I provide within the tank 10 a tube or conduit 32 which may threadably be connected through port 14 with the upper end of the discharge conduit 18 and which rises within the tank to a level a predetermined distance below the normal water level within the tank. The open upper end of said tube is slanted and forms a port 33 that is normally covered by a flapper lid 34 which is hingedly supported at a point somewhat above the upper end of tube 32 by means of a bracket 35 secured to and rising from the tube 32. As a result it tends to drop onto and close said open upper end of the tube under the force of gravity. The free opposite end of flapper 34 is connected to one end of a chain 36 which in turn is connected to one end of an actuating lever 40, such as is customary in water toilets of conventional design. Said lever is pivotally supported in the front so all of the tank 10 at a point that is located above the normal water level of the tank, and its pivot 42 passes through the front wall of the tank to the outside where it carries the customary handle bar 44. Upon depression of bar 44 the flapper lid 34 is lifted from port 33 and water from the tank rushes into the tube 32 and through conduit 18 into the toilet bowl to flush waste material from the bowl, until the water level in the tank has dropped to the level determined by port 33 when the flapper 34 returns to its port-closing position, and the concomitant descent of float 26 is effective to open the water supply valve 30 to refill the tank to its normal level. It should be noted that actuation of handle bar 44 released only part of the full capacity of the tank for flushing the toilet bowl, namely the amount of water contained in the tank between its normal water level determined by the float controlled valve 26/28/30 and the level determined by the location, vertically of the tank, of outlet port 33.

Near its bottom, the tube or conduit 32 has a branch 46 that terminates in an inlet port 48 located only a small distance above the bottom of the tank. Like the upper inlet port 33 this inlet port 48 is slanted and is normally covered by a flapper lid 50 which is hingedly supported from the main conduit 32 at a point above port 48 so that it tends to drop onto and close the port under the force of gravity. The free end of flapper lid 50 is connected to a chain 54 which is guided by suitable guide means represented by the arms 56 to the level and location of the axis of the pivot 42 of actuating lever 40. Said pivot is of tubular conformation and the chain 54 passes through its hollow interior from its inner side to its front side. its end emerging from the front end of the tubular pivot 42 may be connected to a ball 58 or other suitable manipulating handle.

When the ball 58 is pulled, the lid 50 is lifted from the port 48 as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 2, and water from the tank rushes through branch pipe 46, port 14 and L-shaped conduit 18 into the toilet bowl until the water level in the tank drops to the level determined by port 48 and practically the whole capacity of the tank has been exhausted. Thus. a substantially larger amount of water is consumed than if the handle bar 44 had been depressed. This may be necessary when greater amounts of waster material or solid or semisolid waste materials have to be flushed from the toilet bowl. After the water level in the tank has dropped to the level determined by port 33, the lid 50 returns to its port-closing position and the tank begins to refill. Return of the lid 34 to its port-closing position may be facilitated by restore springs 60 that are secured to chain 54 and bear against a suitable abutment, such as may be formed by the arm 56 which guides the chain 54 and which may be supported from the refill conduit 22, as shown.

A tube 62 may pass through and rise from the upper flapper lid 34 to a level somewhat above the normal water level in the tank when the flapper lid is in its portclosing position. This tube acts as an overflow pipe so that a toilet tank provided with the water saving flushing mechanism of my invention does not require a special overflow pipe.

The arrangement of my invention fills an urgent need in that it may save large amounts of water in millions of homes every day. it is of simple and compact construction, and it may readily be manufactured as a separate unit that can be installed as part of the toilet flushing mechanism in toilet tanks of conventional design.

I claim:

1. In a toilet water tank that has an outlet port, an arrangement for emptying the tank to different levels so as to discharge different amounts or water from the tank into the bowl of the toilet, comprising a first tube rising from the outlet port of the tank and having an open upper end at a level below the normal water level in the tank, a second tube branching off from the lower end portion of said first tube and having an open end at a level below the level of the open end of said first tube, individual cover means pivotably supported adjacent said open ends and yieldably biased to keep said open ends closed, means operable to lift said cover means individually from said open ends, and a pipe passing through and rising from one of said cover means to a level above the normal water level in the tank to act as an overflow drain.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said pipe passes through and rises from the cover means of said first tube.

3. A dual level flushing arrangement for the water tanks of toilets having two discharge ports located at different levels comprising individual cover means yieldably biased to keep said ports closed, and means selectively operable to lift the cover means of said ports individually from said ports including a lever having a tubular pivot passing through the front wall of the tank and a handle bar located exteriorly of said tank, and means operatively connecting said lever to one of said cover means to lift it from its port upon depression of said handle bar, an actuating chain connected to the other one of said cover means, guide means conducting said actuating chain to the end of said tubular pivot within said tank for the chain to pass through said tubular pivot to the outside, and an actuating convenience connected to the emerging end of said chain exteriorly of said tank.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3 including a restore spring connected to said actuating chain.

'l 4' l l I 

1. In a toilet water tank that has an outlet port, an arrangement for emptying the tank to different levels so as to discharge different amounts or water from the tank into the bowl of the toilet, comprising a first tube rising from the outlet port of the tank and having an open upper end at a level below the normal water level in the tank, a second tube branching off from the lower end portion of said first tube and having an open end at a level below the level of the open end of said first tube, individual cover means pivotably supported adjacent said open ends and yieldably biased to keep said open ends closed, means oPerable to lift said cover means individually from said open ends, and a pipe passing through and rising from one of said cover means to a level above the normal water level in the tank to act as an overflow drain.
 2. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said pipe passes through and rises from the cover means of said first tube.
 3. A dual level flushing arrangement for the water tanks of toilets having two discharge ports located at different levels comprising individual cover means yieldably biased to keep said ports closed, and means selectively operable to lift the cover means of said ports individually from said ports including a lever having a tubular pivot passing through the front wall of the tank and a handle bar located exteriorly of said tank, and means operatively connecting said lever to one of said cover means to lift it from its port upon depression of said handle bar, an actuating chain connected to the other one of said cover means, guide means conducting said actuating chain to the end of said tubular pivot within said tank for the chain to pass through said tubular pivot to the outside, and an actuating convenience connected to the emerging end of said chain exteriorly of said tank.
 4. An arrangement according to claim 3 including a restore spring connected to said actuating chain. 